Going to Bao La market amidst “chá” bamboo shoot season

6/13/2018 - 2:55:55 PM

(HBO) - Ending the bitter bamboo shoot season, after heavy rains, Thai ethnic minority people in Bao La commune (Mai Chau district) prepare to go to high mountains covered by white clouds to find wild-growing "chá” bamboo shoot - a specialty in the locality, which is as big as a finger of an adult. Therefore, it is also called "finger" shoot.

A woman is purchasing "chá” bamboo shoots in a market in Bao La commune (Mai Chau district)

"Chá” bamboo shoots sold in the market are wrapped in bundles, with the finger-sized bamboo shoots, which are about 20cm in length.

We stopped in front of Mrs. Ha Thi Nhua’s basket of shoots in Van hamlet, Pieng Ve commune. After two days of digging bamboo shoots on mountain slopes, today, along with bags of tomatoes, and papaya flowers, Nhua brought nearly 20 bunches of bamboo shoots to the market. Bundles of bamboo shoots are sold at 10,000 VND/bunch.

"I do not know what they are called in the plain region, but here we call them ‘chá’ bamboo shoots”. This kind of bamboo shoot wildly grow on mountains with only one crop a year, and each crop lasts 2-3 months,” she said.

The "chá” bamboo shoots grow at the end of the bitter bamboo shoot season when it rains along with wet weather. "This is the best kind of bamboo shoot here”, Nhua said.

To farmers in communes in the region, from ancient times, the "chá” bamboo shoot is very familiar.

Mr. Ha Van Hoan, in Bao hamlet, Bao La commune, said the "chá” bamboo shoots wildly grow in high areas. For a long time, local farmers have cut the trees to fence. In this area, the shoots grow in some mountain ranges such as Bao La, Cun Pheo, especially in Ve and Van hamlets in Pieng Ve commune.

"We often cook popular foods from the bamboo shoots, mainly boiled or baked and eat with salt, or make soup. No matter how it is cooked, it has its own flavour, unlike other types of bamboo shoots,” Hoan said.

The Bao La market usually disperses at about 10:00. We were fortunate to buy some bunches of bamboo shoots. Indeed, this is a delicious food.

If they are not boiled, the bamboo shoots are slightly bitter and a little sweet. Those who cannot eat bitter bamboo shoots can still enjoy the "chá” bamboo shoots./.

Hoa Binh fast-tracks new-style countryside development with strong base

Once a mountainous province facing many challenges, Hoa Binh has, after more than a decade of implementing the national target programme on new-style rural area development, emerged as a bright spot in Vietnam’s northern midland and mountainous region. In the first quarter of 2025, the province recorded positive results, paving the way for Hoa Binh to enter a phase of accelerated growth with a proactive and confident mindset.

High tech seen as key to sustainable farming in Hoa Binh

Hoa Binh province is steadily advancing its agricultural sector through the adoption of high-tech solutions, seen as a sustainable path for long-term development.

Hoa Binh reviews progress on key provincial projects

The steering committee for key projects of Hoa Binh province convened on May 14 to assess the progress of major ongoing developments

Hoa Binh attends "Meet Korea 2025" event

A delegation of Hoa Binh province has attended the "Meet Korea 2025" event, recently held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Vietnam, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, and the People's Committee of Hung Yen province.

Hoa Binh revives local heritage through OCOP programme

Hoa Binh province joined Vietnam’s national "One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme in 2019, not simply as a mountainous region following central policy, but with a clear vision to revive the cultural and agricultural values in its villages and crops.

OCOP Hoa Binh: Awakening local excellence - Journey from tradition to market

From just 16 certified products in its inaugural year to 158 by early 2025, the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme in Hoa Binh province has followed a steady and strategic path. But beyond the numbers, it has reawakened local heritage, turning oranges, bamboo shoots, brocade, and herbal remedies into branded, market-ready goods - and, more profoundly, transformed how local communities value and present their own cultural identity.